One in five young drivers on the road are uninsured, new figures have revealed.

Statistics from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) - the body set up to compensate the victims of negligent uninsured and untraced drivers - reveal hundreds of inexperienced motorists in Sussex are getting behind the wheel without cover.

Nationally an estimated 250,000 people aged 17 to 20 are believed to be driving without insurance.

Safety campaigners are now warning young motorists to ensure they are properly insured.

If they are caught driving without insurance within two years of passing their test they could lose their licence.

Sussex Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP) urged young motorists to take a Pass Plus course.

The course trains new drivers to be safer on the roads and newly qualified drivers will be given £60 cashback for completing it.

Over the last three years, 2,219 drivers aged between 17 and 20 were involved in collisions in Sussex, with 134 being seriously injured and 16 losing their lives.

Neil Hopkins, from SSRP, said: “A key priority for us is reducing the number of young people killed and seriously injured on our roads.

“The Pass Plus course is one approach to achieving this and we urge all newly qualified drivers to take advantage of our cash back offer.

“The course offers newly qualified drivers the opportunity to increase their skill levels through tuition in situations which would not normally be covered in standard driving lessons. These include driving on the motorway, driving at night and on rural roads.

“With insurance companies recognising the value of this extra tuition and lowering their premiums accordingly, the Pass Plus course is the perfect way for Sussex’s newly qualified drivers to not only stay safe on the roads, but also to save themselves money in the process.”

Ashton West, the chief executive of the MIB, said: “Young people make up a significant number of uninsured drivers and with one in five newly qualified drivers having an accident in the first year of driving, they need to make choices based on the consequences of driving without insurance and not just on price alone.

“While we recognise the financial pressures for drivers taking to the roads for the first time, it is also a criminal offence to drive without proper insurance cover.”